Nice guy Tom Coughlin inspiring NY Giants

PHOENIX -- About a hundred media members gathered Tuesday around NY Giants' coach Tom Coughlin's podium, many asking variations of the same question: "How and why have you changed your methods to get through to your players?"

A few yards away, tight ends coach Mike Pope stood amid only a couple of reporters. The oldest coach on the Giants' staff and the one who's been with the franchise for all four of its Super Bowl appearances, Pope had a much different view of this team's situation.

"He does deal with players a little differently," Pope said. "But probably they have changed more than he has."

The prevailing theme of Super Bowl week -- and the Giants' entire postseason, for that matter -- is how Coughlin's softened, more player-friendly approach has helped bridge the gap with a group of guys who needed him to bend his long list of rules.

But that's not the whole story. The truth is, when Coughlin showed a little bit of understanding by organizing team events in the off-season and training camp, the players started making the move toward his side of the philosophical spectrum.

A little flexibility on his part resulted in a lot of changes on their end.

"It works both ways," said linebacker Antonio Pierce, one of the leaders in getting the team to listen to Coughlin. "There's got to be give-and-take on both parts."

For Coughlin, there haven't been many changes to his philosophy -- just his approach: a casino night here, a bowling outing there and a field-goal contest between kickers representing the offense and the defense for an extra hour of curfew in training camp.

But for the players, there has been a monumental shift in their attitude. Three years removed from their complaining to the NFL Players Association about Coughlin's workout schedules, rules and fines, they've now come to accept them.

"There are less rule violations. I don't see as many," offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said. "There's still the occasional guy who shows up late. But I think they know they've screwed up and they're upset at themselves -- not because they're getting fined, but they know they're letting down the other guy.

"They kind of can't look each other in the eye."

How did they get to that point? Is it merely because Tiki Barber and other dissenters have left or been weeded out?

Maybe. But the new leadership council, composed of 10 players, has certainly played a part.

"He's had the forum to explain some of the things he does and why he's doing them, so that they have a better grasp of, 'Oh, okay, this is actually going to help us. It's going to be better for us,'" Gilbride said. "It also has given him a chance to show he cares for them. He always has; I'm not sure they always realized it, though."

Said Pierce, "Our leadership council did a great job to break that barrier of, 'All right, what the hell are you trying to tell us?' Now, we understand."

Part of the problem why both sides didn't understand each other was the 61-year-old Coughlin has been among the oldest coaches in the league since taking the job in 2004. (He's officially the oldest after Joe Gibbs' recent retirement.)

"He told us one day, 'There's a big age gap between me and you guys.' It's thirty-plus years," Pierce said. "He doesn't understand our lingo or language just like we don't understand him sometimes."

Case in point: Yesterday, Coughlin was asked by a military reporter to give a "shout out" to the troops overseas.

"A what?" Coughlin replied.

Maybe the players haven't gotten around to that one yet. But they have taught him a few other ones, including a vulgar greeting in unison one recent morning that caught Coughlin off guard.

"What was that about?" he said after a laugh of uncertainty.

It was a sign of respect -- a profane peace treaty, actually -- and a recognition that they're all working toward the same goal.

Gilbride said he knew the players had come to that realization when the team was 0-2 and there was no sign anyone was ready to jump ship.

"You never heard what is the natural division, the natural sniping behind the scenes, where one guy's whispering to another guy or to the media," Gilbride said. "You kind of felt like they understand we're all in this thing together."

Added linebackers coach Bill Sheridan: "It's just that the fact that he's let his guard down a little bit, even if it's subconscious with the players, it's like, 'Okay, we can come around to what this guy is talking about.'"